'Real Life' Motoring

News straight from Ducati who have been celebrating their incredible achievement in winning the 2019 BSB Championship with Scott Redding and the Be Wiser PBM Ducati: Enjoy.

Ducati were presented with the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Winning Manufacturer trophy at their factory in Bologna this week, the home of where the Ducati V4 was developed by the Italian manufacturer, marking a tenth British title win in the series delivered by the PBM team this season.

In its first campaign in the Championship, Ducati’s newest Superbike celebrated an impressive debut, claiming the top three positions in the overall championship standings as Scott Redding sealed a debut British title ahead of Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell. The consistent performances from both the championship-winning Be Wiser PBM Ducati and Oxford Racing Ducati teams saw the new V4 achieve a total of 22 wins, 17 second places and 17 third places across the season.

In recognition of the accomplishment, the trophy was presented by Series Director Stuart Higgs to the team behind the design and development of the machine including Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti.

The 2019 title-winning success for Ducati is the tenth victory for the Italian manufacturer since the British Championship began in its current guise in 1996. The first came for the popular Ducati 996 in the hands of Troy Bayliss, the Australian making his mark in the British Championship before progressing to the world stage with Ducati before claiming World Championship success. Ducati then maintained their position at the top of the British Championship for a further four seasons with Neil Hodgson in 2000, who also moved to represent Ducati in World Championship action and became a title-winner in WSBK.

John Reynolds maintained the Ducati momentum in Britain during the 2001 campaign, claiming the title before Steve Hislop added to his British title success in 2002 onboard the 998 model, with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne sealing his first title in 2003. The Ducati 999 was then the latest evolution of the Ducati Superbike, and in the hands of Gregorio Lavilla, lifted the 2005 British crown. Ducati and Byrne were victorious again in 2008 and then together claimed incredible consecutive title wins for the Panigale R in 2016 and 2017 with PBM, before injury ended his 2018 fight for the hat trick of championship wins prematurely.

This season the all-new Panigale V4 R proved to be another weapon on track for Ducati, delivering one of their strongest performances in the history of the series and the trophy arrived in Italy to mark the celebration, which further confirmed PBM’s position as the most successful team in the Championship.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship Series Director Stuart Higgs commented: “The Ducati story in BSB is unsurpassed with success spanning over twenty years, with some of the best riders to ever grace the championship. It was very rewarding to hear first-hand from the Ducati Executive group the high regard that BSB is held by them.”

Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Motor Holding CEO, commented: “We are extremely pleased to receive this trophy to celebrate a fantastic debut season for the new Panigale V4 in such a competitive championship as BSB, and want to take this opportunity also to thank Paul Bird of the Be Wiser PBM Ducati Team and Steve Moore of Oxford Racing Ducati for their efforts and great support, that allowed Ducati to achieve the top three position in the final standings of the series”.